Just back from a 14 night non birding holiday in North America, primarily Alaska. We first had a one night stay in Vancouver before embarking the NCL vessel, Norwegian Sea for 7 nights, calling at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, then making our way back to Vancouver. The ship then sailed down the Pacific Coast to San Diego, visiting Astoria, in Oregon, en route.
The initial Vancouver stop allowed a short visit to the city's Stanley Park which has an impressive bird list. Unfortunately, it was raining and quiet. Walking to the park via English Bay didn't turn up much other than Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorant and the ever present Glaucous-winged Gull. It was too early for the post breeding dispersal of a variety of ducks, so there was very little either in the Bay or on Lost Lagoon within the Park. Song Sparrow, American Robin, Steller's Jay and Chestnut-backed Chickadee were seen together with Belted Kingfisher and a Great Blue Heron to get the holiday list underway.
The sail up to Skagway was stunning with a backdrop of wooded islands and a mountainous hinterland. This is south east Alaska and the panhandle part of the State. There would be no bird activity at times, then there would be a purple patch when a variety of loons and scoters would be seen together with the odd skua and petrel. Between Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Island, Sooty Shearwater were everywhere and a minimum of 2500 were seen. At the beginning of day two, a pod of 4 Killer Whale was noted with around 50 Dall's Porpoises nearby. Another single Orca would be seen a few days later in Glacier Bay together with 30 Sea Otter. Around a dozen Humpback Whale were noted in several locations. A great sight was a flock of approx 1500 Surf Scoter in Skagway Harbour. At each stop in port in Alaska we did an excursion to try and 'up' the bird list but it was very quiet and not too much was seen 'on land.' Very few auks seen, can only assume they were much further out to sea, post breeding.
We had some great birding on the second half of the trip, especially on the approaches to Astoria, in Oregon and also off the California coast with the highlights being Black-footed Albatross, Black-vented & Buller's Shearwater and Red Phalarope. A final two nights stay in San Diego gave the opportunity for some more birding 'on land' and to be fair it was quite good.
Trip list as follows :-
Canada Goose Mallard Surf Scoter (1500 min) White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Red breasted Merganser Western Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Anna's Hummingbird American Coot Black Oystercatcher Red Phalarope (9) South Polar Skua (2) Parasitic Jaeger Common Murre Black-legged Kittiwake Bonaparte's Gull (20) Heermann's Gull (400) Mew Gull Ring-billed Gull Western Gull California Gull Herring Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Red throated Loon (2) Pacific Loon (4) Common Loon (1) Black-footed Albatross (2) Buller's Shearwater (6) Sooty Shearwater (2750 min) Black-vented Shearwater (30) Fork-tailed Storm Petrel (2) Leach's Storm Petrel Brandt's Cormorant (2) Double-crested Cormorant Pelagic Cormorant Brown Pelican Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Green Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle (13) Red-shouldered Hawk (1) Red-tailed Hawk (1) Barred Owl (1) Belted Kingfisher American Kestrel Steller's Jay American Crow Northwestern Crow Common Raven Barn Swallow Chestnut-backed Chickadee American Robin Northern Mockingbird European Starling House Sparrow House Finch Yellow Warbler Townsend's Warbler Song Sparrow Brewer's Blackbird Common Grackle
Killer Whale (5) Fin Whale Humpback Wake Dall's Porpoise Harbour Seal Steller's Sealion Sea Otter Black Bear (2) (On an excursion at Juneau and I missed both!)
